


I'm just as scared as you (I will take care of you)

by cinderlily



Category: Girl Meets World
Genre: Baby Fic, F/M, Future AU, married
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-13
Updated: 2016-09-13
Packaged: 2018-08-14 19:48:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,566
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8026678
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cinderlily/pseuds/cinderlily
Summary: “MAAAYAAAAA.” 
From the back room, where she’d been painting on the small thing they called their porch, Maya came running in. She was covered in paint and her hair was a mess, she looked funny enough that Riley let out a stuttered laugh. 
“Riley, what is funny, this better not be a test,” Maya looked like she might actually throw a punch. 
Riley shook her head slowly. “Not… not a test. I think …” she inhaled. “I think this is the real thing.” She rubbed at her protruding stomach and felt the tightening from the outside, which was entirely more pleasant than from the inside.





	I'm just as scared as you (I will take care of you)

**Author's Note:**

  * For [shmorgas](https://archiveofourown.org/users/shmorgas/gifts).



Riley was curled up on her couch, watching ‘You’ve Got Mail’ for possibly the ten thousandth time and counting her breaths. Every part of her ached and was sore but the thing was, if she kept herself busy with counting her breaths it helped, just a little. 

Until…

“MAAAYAAAAA.” 

From the back room, where she’d been painting on the small thing they called their porch, Maya came running in. She was covered in paint and her hair was a mess, she looked funny enough that Riley let out a stuttered laugh. 

“Riley, what is funny, this better not be a test,” Maya looked like she might actually throw a punch. 

Riley shook her head slowly. “Not… not a test. I think …” she inhaled. “I think this is the real thing.” She rubbed at her protruding stomach and felt the tightening from the outside, which was entirely more pleasant than from the inside. 

“But it CAN’T be the real thing,” Maya countered. “Ranger Rick doesn’t get back for two hours and Josh is unreachable for at least a half hour and your parents aren’t in town and you have two weeks.” 

Riley felt a tightening at her lower back that made her lean forward. She looked at the clock. “Okay, well. Tell that to the clock, because this is the fourth in just under twenty minutes and they say you go in at five minutes apart… Do the math…” 

“Math wasn’t my strong…” 

“Maya,” Riley clenched her teeth, riding out the end of the pain she was feeling. “Could you grab my bag, please?” 

Maya looked like she was going to barf but she turned and ran towards Riley and Lucas’ bedroom. Lucas. Okay. She should call him. 

It rang twice but it got sent to voicemail, which wasn’t that much of a shock. He was on a plane and even though phones were allowed on planes now he usually had his headphones on on planes. She didn’t leave a message. 

Instead she sent a text. “ _Last chance to back out and tell me I’m right and it’s a girl. Go time._ ” 

Maya ran out of the bedroom already on the phone. “I TOLD her that, she won’t listen to me.” 

“Who are you talking to?” 

Maya blushed. “Josh…” 

“He’s not allowed to have his phone right now, he’s…” she inhaled deeply, another contraction hitting her. “He’s in CLASS.” 

“I told them it was a family emergency,” Maya said. Riley glared. “It is…” 

“Car? Please?” Riley said and she got up with some help from Maya and waddled down stairs. Who thought a third story walk up was a good idea? Who? 

(It was her, she thought the apartment was whimsical and it was in their price range and had room for baby Friar, had a bench at the window, and was near Topanga’s… but still. Bad choices Past!Riley. )

It only took a minute to get a cab, which was pretty much a miracle and she got into the seat and tried her best to smile at the cab driver. “Um, could you take us to the hospital, please?” 

He took one look at her and his eyes softened. “One hospital ride, coming up.” 

Her phone buzzed in her hand and she looked down to see Lucas’s smiling face. She felt goofy and warm and in a LOT of pain all at the same time. 

“ **Lucas** ,” she said. 

“Riley? Riley, what do you mean by go time?” 

She frowned. “What do you mean what do I mean? I mean _go time_. Hospital, an epidural… and ... baby.” 

“But I still have an hour and a half on the plane,” he said. “And you still have two weeks before your due date.” 

Riley was really, really, really trying to stay zen here but one more person reminding her when her due date was might actually end in a very unRiley like smack to the face. She put her hand on the side of her belly and rubbed as it started to tighten up again. 

“Your daughter is on her own time table,” she said. And it _could_ qualify as a snap. Maybe. Possibly. 

Lucas made a noise and then, voice deep and calm, started to talk again. “Okay, princess. You’re right. Of course our baby is on her own time table. She’s ours. She wants to meet the world, right now. So, breathe.” 

Riley let her head fall back against the headrest of the car. Beside her Maya was talking to her mom, she knew it because she heard her mom’s shrill, ‘BUT WE HAD A PLAN’ voice. 

“Remember the class we took, focus on your breathing,” he said. 

“Don’t want to think of the class,” she whined. That video was not fair to make a person watch when they were actually about to do it. She had no means of escape. 

Lucas laughed a little He’d heard her talk about that video quite often. “Of course not. Well. Think about last fall. We drove upstate. Just you and me. Found the perfect campsite.” 

“It rained all day,” Riley said, hissing a bit as yet another contraction hit. 

“I think that’s where baby entered the picture,” Lucas said, and she laughed despite herself. “But that night, it was so clear.” 

“Stars for miles,” Riley sighed, the images coming to her. They knew most of the stars and had named them. But Riley had also made up some stories for the stars, telling them to Lucas as they lay on their backs by the fire, enjoying s’mores. 

A hand landed on her shoulder and she looked over to see Maya and the hospital just over her shoulder. Oh wow. 

“Oh wow,” she said. “We’re here.” 

“Where?” Lucas said, and all chill from his voice was gone. 

Maya was out of the seat and grabbing a wheelchair. “Hospital. We’re at the hospital.” 

“Get your ass here, Huckleberry,” Maya said into the phone. 

“I’m trying!” he called out, but Maya couldn’t hear him as she paid or the cab. 

“I love you, Lucas,” Riley said, missing him in a way she hadn’t even in the almost week he’d been gone at a conference. 

There was some static, a noise in the background. “I love you too, Riley. Try and hold on for me, okay?” 

“Okay,” she said, only slightly a lie. She figured first births were long, but if this was just the beginning, she wanted this baby out _now_. 

“I love you,” he repeated. “You got this. I’ll be there before you know it…” 

Riley exhaled. “I know it, _be here now._ ” 

“I wish, princess, I wish.” 

They sat in silence for a long moment, as Maya sat talking (almost yelling) at the nurse as she filled out some paperwork. Riley grabbed her insurance card out of the wallet on top of her go back and they walked off. She enjoyed just hearing Lucas breathing. There was noise on Lucas’ end of the line, a tinny voice over the loudspeaker. 

“Good news,” he said, though his voice was a little tight. “We’re in the descent, but we’re going to have to turn off the phone in a minute or so.” 

Riley didn’t want to cry, really. It was all just overwhelming. Everything. She wiped at her face. “I should go get finished signing in. They want to find out how far along the…”

She made a noise and Lucas copied it. “Breathe, Riles. Breathe. Inhale, 1-2-3, hold, exhale 1-2-3…”

“I’ll have Maya text the room number,” Riley said.

Lucas sighed. “She’s going to kill me, she told me not to go on this trip.” 

“And I told you to go,” Riley said. “Get here fast, okay?” 

“Will do, Princess.” 

She hung up before she could force herself to keep on the phone until the second he had to get off. There was a commotion and she looked at the front door to see Josh running down the short hallway. 

“BABY!” He said, loudly. “You’re having one!” 

Riley smiled, tears falling down her face but happily. “You’re going to be a GREAT-UNCLE!” 

“I thought I already was one…” Josh winked and Maya lightly hit him in the shoulder. 

“She’s making human life here, Josh,” Maya said. “And from now on you shall be Boing Boing.” 

A nurse came around with two wristbands to put on Riley. She turned towards Josh, holding another one. “You the father?” 

Josh held up both hands. “Nope, I’m the Great-Uncle.” 

“What?” the woman quirked an eyebrow. 

“Long story,” Maya shrugged. “Can we just make with the hospital-ing?” 

Riley looked at Maya. “Maya, she’s just doing her job, say sorry.” 

“Sorry,” Maya said, with just that edge of sarcasm. 

“Other mother?” the nurse offered. 

Riley grinned. “No. My husband is on his way.” 

“Okay then, we’ll head up and see where we’re at.” 

*

Where they were at was almost four centimeters and seventy percent effaced. Riley asked for an epidural but the nurse told her that she would have to wait for the anesthesiologist to be done with a few caesarean and people ahead of her. She nodded at the nurse like it was not something that made her want to sob like an infant. 

Josh was beside her on the bed, Maya on the other side. They both talked to her through a series of painful contractions. 

“Do you have a name picked out?” Josh asked, once one contraction started. “Joshua has a nice ring to it. Good family name.” 

“Weird name for a girl,” Maya retorted. She had been on the girl train since Riley had the dream at month three, so vivid and intense. A little girl with her girly dark hair but Lucas’ pale blue eyes. It somehow felt so real that since then Riley just knew. And as Maya had pointed out, if anyone had that ability, it would her her. 

Riley, who was trying to sit up with pillows behind her, rubbed at her belly like maybe it would calm the baby and thus calm the contractions. ( A girl could dream, right?) 

“Lucas gets to name it if it’s a boy, I get to name it when it’s a girl,” she smiled. 

“Any ideas?” Maya asked. 

Riley shrugged. “A few. I have her middle name. I’m hoping something hits me when I see her, or when I see Lucas again. I have a book in my go bag.” 

Maya got up and grabbed the bag, opening it and finding a tattered name book that had seen it’s better days. She smiled. It had been her mom’s and before that it had been her grandparents when they named Josh. There were a series of post-its, neon green, neon pink, neon yellow and neon blue. 

She felt the slight tightening at the base of her belly. “Oh gosh.” 

The book ended up on her lap as both people grabbed her hands. Josh started to talk to her about when they named a puppy once, how fervent she had been at age 3 that the dog should be named Sara Lee, cause she loved cake...Then after a second he said, “Coming down, almost there.” 

Just like that the contraction subsided. She took a few deep breaths. “Are you psychic now?” 

“Nope, just able to read the machines,” he said and pointed at the box. “Up means ow, down means relief… Now baby names.” 

Maya grabbed the book and pulled at the tabs. “Do they have some sort of system.” 

“Of course. Pink means, ‘Maybe’. Blues means that Lucas likes them, Yellow means _I like it_ and Green means we both like it so yeses.” 

Maya rolled her eyes and dead panned, “How didn’t I see that?” 

She flipped through the book, stopping occasionally on pages. “Uri?” 

“It means, ‘Belongs to the city’,” Riley said. “I like the idea. She will grow here like I did. So she will belong to New York.” 

Maya groaned. “You know that it’s two letters away from ‘Urine’, right?” 

She frowned. She hadn’t actually thought of that. “Take out the post it.” 

Another contraction started, one that she swore was getting stronger by the minute. (Lucas wasn’t there, so they couldn’t be getting stronger, she decided, even as she panted through the whole thing.) It came back down and she exhaled. 

“Aurora?” Josh blinked, looking over at the book and obviously hoping for distraction. “Like Sleeping Beauty?” 

Maya held a hand up to her face. “Oh Boing Boing, you nerd.” 

“I was three years older than her, she chose the movies more than I care to admit,” he said with a frown. “But Aurora is kind of nice…” 

Riley beamed at her Uncle,”That’s why it’s yellow. Lucas doesn’t like it. Says it sounds weird with a Texas accent. Though he uses that excuse for everything if he doesn’t like it.” 

“You push the baby out, you name it,” Maya said, flipping through the book. “Though I’m not a fan of Aurora.” 

It went back and forth like that for a while, a contraction hitting and then a debate between a name. Another contraction and yet another name. Josh at one point noted that naming humans was harder than defending his dissertation. Maya had simply beamed at him and told him he didn’t have to worry as he had zero say in naming their kids. Which started an odd fight between the two, as they hadn’t even gotten engaged yet. 

It had been over an hour and she was starting to feel like she might cry. 

The door opened without a knock and Lucas ran in, covered in sweat and looking distinctly wild eyed. Riley, who was panting like the nurse had showed her, stopped and grabbed at the railing of her bed. 

“Hi,” she said, soft and low and exhausted. 

“Hey,” he responded, making himself stand up and walk towards the edge of her bed. In the decade or so they’d been together (well, with a few stops and starts) she never thought she’d been this excited to see him. He sat on the edge of the bed and grabbed her hand, lacing their fingers together and squeezing tightly. 

She leaned her head back, aware of the building up pain at the base of her spine. Everything went tense, and she tightened her fingers. “Ow, ow, ow.” 

Lucas looked helplessly around the room. 

“Why doesn’t she have an epidural? It was in her plan,” he said accusatory towards Maya. 

“Well, Ranger Rick,” Maya said. “You need an anesthesiologist for that, and our guy is taking forever.” 

Riley panted again. “They told us soon. Soon is good. Why does soon feel so far?” 

“Hey,” Josh said. “It’s going down, don’t worry Riley, worst is over for now.” 

Riley nodded her head. “Thanks.” 

“What is going down?” 

Josh pointed to the monitor. “See that red line? That’s her contraction, it goes up then her contraction starts. It come back down, she’s good.” 

“What’s the blue one?” Luke asked, staring at the screen like it could solve all the problems in the world. 

“Your kid’s heartbeat,” Josh said. “Nice and steady. It likes to dip right before a contraction though. Like a little warning or something.” 

Riley took Lucas’ hand and placed it between the two bands on her belly. “She’s not really active. But feel those kicks.” 

As one started Lucas got a distant look on his face. Riley had seen it a half a dozen times during the pregnancy. It was his pure fascination with the whole process and it made Riley’s heart skip. 

“The feet are so low,” he commented. He rubbed at the spot and leaned in. “You ready to come out baby? We want to meet you, our little star.” 

“And I want her _out_ ,” Riley said, firmly. 

There was a knock at the door and an older gentleman walked in with a younger woman following behind. 

“Good evening,” the guy said. “I’m Doctor Bier, this is Doctor Park. I’m here for your epidural.” 

“You are my new best friend,” Riley commented and Maya made an annoyed noise. “Maya, do you have the happy stick of pain relief? No? Okay. New best friend. Only temporary.” 

Dr. Bier didn’t appear to have a sense of humor but Riley couldn’t care less. Happy stick of pain relief. “You need to sit up, hold on to this pillow like a teddy bear and arch your back. Be very careful. You can’t move at all.” 

Lucas sprung into action. He put himself in front of Riley, taking the pillow and moving it around in her arms.

“Can’t I just cuddle him?” Riley asked, her voice hitched upwards. Nevermind the fact that she was scared out of her mind, she hadn’t seen him in days and days and she missed him. 

Dr. Bier looked over at him. 

“You the dad?” he asked Lucas. 

“Yeah, I am,” he beamed, face lighting up. 

“He stands in front of you, you cling to the pillow,” Dr. Bier deadpanned. “It’s just like cuddling him.” 

Lucas knelt down into her sight line again. “I promise to hold you for days as soon as possible, but let’s listen to the doctor with the large needle.” 

“Large?!” she yipped. She knew the basic mechanics of the whole epidural thing but she didn’t need to know things she didn’t even have to see. 

“Way to go Hee-Haw,” Maya piped up from the corner. 

Dr. Bier looked over and pointed at Maya and Josh. “I need you two out of the room for this.” 

Maya’s mouth opened to be annoyed but Josh nodded at Dr. Bier and pulled Maya up. “How long?” 

“I’ll send Dr. Park out when I’m done,” he said. Josh nodded. 

“Boing, I’m not leaving this room without …” Maya said but she was already out of the room. 

Dr. Bier went into a quick explanation of the process, something that went above Riley’s head as another contraction hit and for whatever reason the doctor didn’t pause to allow her around the pain. Rather he barrelled through and by the time she was done he was setting up his equipment. She looked over at Lucas anxiously. 

“Did you catch that?” 

Lucas tilted his head. “What?” 

“Um, everything?” she whispered. 

Lucas leant his forehead to hers. “Got it, princess. Just relax and don’t move.” 

She closed her eyes and felt Lucas give a small kiss to her forehead. She relaxed a little bit. A sudden feeling of cool liquid on her back and she gripped one of Lucas’ forearms over the pillow. He looked at her and smiled reassuringly. 

“Hey,” he said. “Hey, you got this. I’ve got this.” 

“Stay still,” he said. “This is going to pinch.” 

Pinch was not quite the word she would have used but she stayed as still as possible. Lucas’ eyes went wide and she knew hers matched. Then she felt a cold shiver go up her back in one swift motion. She shivered and panicked a little. 

“I didn’t mean to…” 

“You can lay down,” Dr. Bier said and Lucas helped her. She laid down and put her feet back up on the pillow. She lay there for a long minute, waiting for the impending feeling of pain that was coming. “Do you feel that?” 

She blinked up at the doctor. “Feel what exactly?” 

Dr. Bier smiled. “Exactly. So stay on one side, you’re going to want to switch sides every hour or so but you’ll feel when you need to do it.” 

She _was_ listening but she was too stuck on the sudden relief of not having the piercing sensation on her belly. She grinned at Dr. Bier. “I told you you were my favorite.” 

“I get that a lot,” he said. He looked up at Lucas. “You got everything?” 

“Yes sir.” 

He stood up and nodded at the other doctor before turning back. “I’ll send your friends back in. Don’t worry about messaging me if you need a fill up, I’m trapped in here for the next few hours.” 

The doctor left and Lucas leaned over her to get her situated on her side. She looked up at him and he looked at her with a small secretive smile.

“Hi,’ he whispered. 

“Hey,” she laughed. 

“That doctor was a bit intense,” Lucas made a face. 

Riley shook her head. “He’s a miracle worker, he is my favorite. He is better than ice cream and kittens.” 

Lucas kissed her nose. “Epidural took that edge off?” 

“I can’t feel a thing and it’s beautiful.” 

Maya walked in followed quickly by Josh. “That guy was a quack, kicking me out of here, what is that even about?” 

“Don’t insult him,” Lucas interjected. “He is currently above kittens.” 

Maya gaped. “Woah. Intense.” 

“Your mom called,” Josh said. “They are maybe an hour out.” 

“An hour?” she said, and it was definitely a whine. Just. That was a long time and she wanted her mommy. 

Josh nodded and walked over to squeeze her feet, that she had zero feeling in. “It sounds like if Cory has any say it’ll be twenty minutes.” 

“Back to baby names?” Maya asked, picking up the book. 

Riley looked at Lucas, who was looking at Maya and frowning at her. Riley _might_ have lied and said she had the name down a little earlier than she had. She had the middle name? Lucas had said he had the baby boy names months ago, which was funny. She’d told him it wasn’t happening, at least not this time… and as things were going maybe never ever ever. (Even with the epidural.) 

“I’m good,” she said, exhaling and letting her fingers twine with Lucas’. 

“Wait, I don’t get to know the name?” Maya said. 

Riley smiled. “You’ll get to find out soon enough.” 

“Okay, promise it isn’t Princess Rapunzel,” Maya asked and Riley laughed. 

“I was 8 and if I remember correctly you wanted to name YOUR first daughter Roxie McQueen.” 

Maya shrugged. “That is still a valid name. Strong, Steve McQueen was a great actor…” 

“I so get a say in our daughter’s name,” Josh popped in.

Maya held up her hand. “There are STEPS, Joshua.” 

“Just because we aren’t freaks who got married at 23…” 

“HEY!” both she and Lucas called out. 

Josh blushed and ran a hand on his neck. “Okay then, let’s rewind that last twenty seconds.” 

* 

Birth, it turned out, could take _forever_. Even with Lucas’ arrival, and her parents’ and Auggie’s. Even with a top off of the epidural. She felt like it had been days since she’d been seated on her couch that morning by the time she got to the part where the nurse told her family to move to the back of the room. 

She gave Lucas the very very strict rule that he must stay above her belly button until the baby was actually coming and the doctor said so. He smiled at her and said he would still love her and she’d grabbed him by the shirt and repeated herself. 

“Aww, _my baby_ ,” came a teary voice from Topanga in the corner. 

“She’s almost as scary as you were,” Cory added. 

Lucas, who still had a hand wrapped in his shirt, didn’t take his eyes off of her for one second. “She seems pretty scary to me.” 

 

The nurses were moving her feet to the stirrups, a quick check confirming she was 10 cm dilated and a hundred percent effaced. She released his shirt and took his hand. The epidural had taken the edge off, but she could still feel most things and it wasn’t pleasant. 

“We’re doing this?” she asked and Lucas gripped her hand tightly. 

His voice was comforting and right in her ear. “ _You’re doing this,_ Riley. And you got this. I’m right here, but you got this.” 

The doctor asked for Maya and Topanga. She had her put their hands on either one of Riley’s feet and Riley would probably care except for the fact that it was actually pretty perfect for the two women who shaped her to be right there with her. 

“Okay, Mrs. Friar, I need you to take a deep breath and at the next contraction I need you to push as hard as you can for a count of ten, is that clear?” 

Riley nodded, her the doctor telling her mom and Maya to push on her legs. She could feel the next contraction building at the bottom of her spine. “I feel it, it’s coming.” 

“On my count,” the doctor said and suddenly all she could focus on was the sound of the doctor’s voice and the feel of Lucas’ hand in hers and the sharp pain. She got to ten and they had her do it again and again. Then she got to rest. 

The next contraction came maybe three minutes later, giving her just enough time to recover before pushing again. It was slow going, way too slow, but then again she was waiting for this moment for so long of course it would take forever to get there.

After thirty minutes of pushing, quite suddenly she stopped. There was a sudden feeling of release and then a small whimpering cry and she looked up in time for her mom to meet her eyes. 

“It’s a girl,” the doctor smiled. Riley smiled back, she had known it all along but the words were the best confirmation. She fell back against the bed and exhaled, feeling her whole body slowly ease it’s tension. 

A second later the baby was put on her chest and she got to see close up. She was pink and slimy and squirming around, her head was kind of an odd shaped and her eyes were wide open. She was so … perfect. 

She looked over at Lucas who was staring at the baby with tears building in his eyes. 

“Hey,” she said, lifting one of the arms slowly and waving it at him. 

He laughed but leaned in to give a small kiss to her knuckles. “Hi.” 

“We need to clean and weigh her, she won’t leave the room,” one of the nurses explained. 

Riley had a moment of sheer panic at the idea of her leaving her arms and she looked Lucas in the eyes. “Hold her hand.” 

“What?” 

“She might get scared,” Riley said and her voice was watery, she didn’t even feel like she was crying. “She’s never been without me, so hold her hand, okay?” 

The nurse took the baby and to his credit Lucas stayed right next to them to hold the baby’s tiny little hand the whole time. Riley couldn’t keep her eyes off of Lucas’ back, couldn’t help but strain to hear the little cries coming from the other side of the room. 

She felt warm lips on her forehead and looked up to see her mom smiling down at her. “Good job, mama.” 

“I have a baby,” she said, feeling exhausted, bewildered, totally overwhelmed, and pretty sure that there had been a mistake somewhere. She still forgot to match her socks most days, but they were just giving her a human being? “Mom, I have a baby?” 

Her mom smiled and wiped at Riley’s face. “They let your dad do it, you have nothing to worry about.” 

“Hey now,” her dad moved to stand next to her mom, taking her hand and squeezing it. “... I actually don’t have a retort for that. They just let me take you home. It was very irresponsible on the state’s behalf.” 

Riley cracked a smile. “You two did a pretty good job.” 

“And so will you two,” her dad added, just as Lucas came back with a giant blanket in his arms. 

“Can I hold her?” her mom asked, like she even had to. Riley tilted her head towards her mom and Lucas handed her over, looking a bit relieved. He was amazing at holding new born animals, but in their delivery class he’d looked like the fake baby was made of glass when it was made of actual plastic. 

The nurse walked back over and smiled. “Five pounds, 12 oz, nineteen inches. Not too bad for nearly two weeks early. She’s also got a good set of lungs. We’re going to move you to another room, but mama we have a few things we need to do to clean you up before that. Do you want us to send over your family while we do that?” 

The panic from a few minutes before started to surge again but Lucas leaned in and gave her a kiss. “I’ll make sure one of us is holding her hand at all times.” 

“I love you,” she whispered, pressing another kiss to his lips. 

“I love you too,” he responded. 

They all left except one last nurse. For about five minutes she had some truly embarrassing moments, including having to figure out how to walk again (or as close to it) and being forced to pee in front of the nurse. She had to change and she had to put on compression socks. 

Basically, she was pretty glad she didn’t have to do that surrounded by people. 

As she got wheeled down the hallway she opened her phone and googled something quickly. She knew what she wanted, but she had to make sure that there was something there for it to be true. She had to disregard about twenty text messages of congratulations. (Zey sent her a picture of him giving thumbs up, he was still in Texas but would be flying out as soon as possible. Farkle and Smackle would drive up from Boston the next day…) She didn’t even have to think who posted it, Auggie never knew how to keep a secret. 

By the time she got to the room the baby was in Maya’s arms, her hands being held by both Maya and Josh who seemed to have made up from the fight from earlier. 

She was helped into bed, where a big familiar quilt lay on top of it. She looked at Maya who just smiled, knowing that quilt was something for the two of them only, and now the another generation. Her mom took the baby from Maya to hand her off to Riley.

“Well?” her mom asked. “Are we calling her ‘Baby girl’ for the rest of her life?” 

She paused for a second and licked at her chapped lips. She liked the feeling of the last fleeting seconds of it being her little secret. “Vega Penelope Friar.” 

Maya is the first to speak up. “Penelope?” 

“Well, her godmother is going to give her a lot, gotta start somewhere,” Lucas smiled from beside Riley. 

“ _Vega_?” Auggie asked. 

The room laughed. Vega let out a squawk from where she was holding her. 

“It’s the brightest star in the group of stars Lyra,” she said, looking over at Lucas who gave her a happy smile. “We like stars.” 

“Well, I think it’s beautiful,” her mother curled her finger under the baby’s chin. “I think _she’s_ beautiful. She can be our star.” 

Riley leaned back against the fluff of pillows behind her. The adrenaline that had been pumping in her veins all of ninety seconds before was fading faster than she would like. She looked up Lucas who took one look at her and read her mind.   
.  
“Okay,” Lucas said with an indulgent smile, “Alright guys, my family needs a rest. You don’t have to go home, as they say, but you can’t stay here.” 

She handed Vega over to Lucas, who looked so out of his element with the baby it was endearing, so that people could say their goodbyes. Her heart beat faster in her chest, she could tell by the little monitor beside the bed. Her mom stopped to kiss the top of her head. 

“Good job, baby girl.” 

Her dad gave a look to Lucas, like he had tried to look harder than he was, but failed. Rather he grinned and gave him a gentle hug. His voice was scratchy. “Now you’re going to know.” 

“What, sir?” 

“What it’s like to have a part of you outside of you” he said. “It’s really pretty scary.” He leaned over and kissed Riley on the cheek. “But totally worth is.” 

Auggie and Josh were standing but Maya sat on the window bench with her legs swinging back and forth. “Aw, how cute, you think I might leave.” 

Riley looked at Maya. “Peaches, it’s okay. We’ve got this. Go home and rest.” 

“Are you sure?” Maya looked dubious, but Riley gave her a look and Maya settled down. “Call me if you need me. I’ll be back. A lot.” 

Riley laughed. “Of course.” 

Maya stood up and walked over, leaning over the small bundle and kissing the tufts of light brown hair. “Love you, Vega Penelope.” 

Josh took her and led her out. 

And they were left, just their little family. 

“Get some rest, I got this,” Lucas said, even though he didn’t seem like he did. She eased down in bed gently, feeling every movement as she did so. She was going to need more meds soon, but for that second she let herself watch her husband and her daughter and breathe in the tiny moments that were building her new universe. 

Not as two, but as three. As a brand new little family. Them against the world.

**Author's Note:**

> I have no idea where this started but it came out in more or less one go. Thank GOSH for Shmorgas holding my hand and fixing my mistakes. <3 
> 
> Title from "I Will Take Care Of You" by Amy Sky 
> 
> The alternate to this title was "girl meets village". <3


End file.
